Well, after all the positive feedback of my most recent post about my unfortunate yet memorable spray tan experience, I'm glad to know that my humiliating experiences bring such joy to your lives! And no, I am not posting the spray tan picture.Yesterday was my first time daring to take all three kids out in public by myself. We hit Wendy's, Target, and Barnes and Noble and, as I posted on facebook, no one threw a fit, peed their pants, or got hit by a car. So all in all, a good day. Not that I plan on doing it again soon.
Today was Alexis's first appointment at the Down Syndrome Clinic at St. Vincent Hospital. I had heard wonderful things about Dr. Escobar. All true. The man is a rock star. He started off explaining that they don't view Downs as a disease or a problem, but the genetic makeup of a person. He also explained that while we usually measure a person's success in life by how smart they are or how they look, we should measure success by a person's happiness. That is what they want to do: make sure Alexis grows up happy. *sniff sniff*
I'm sure he says this to everyone who walks into that clinic, but he was so kind, and seemed so genuine, you couldn't help but love the man. He thought Lexi looked great. He put her on Prevacid because he sensed she had some discomfort in her stomach. And he gave me his e-mail address to contact him any time I would like. God bless that man.
Alexis weighed in today at 8 lbs, 12 oz. At 3 1/2 months old, she now weighs what Blake did when he was born. Height and weight are plotted differently for children with Downs, but I was still surprised, and very pleased, to learn that she's in the 25th percentile for weight! Dr. E. thought this was perfect. One of her biggest struggles will probably be low muscle tone and it's best for a child to stay "lean" as it can help her in areas such as hopefully avoiding sleep apnea. Alexis has her next appointment at the clinic in 3 months.
I was talking to my sis-in-law, Conya the supermom. We'll be in Kokomo tomorrow for my nephew's birthday party and she's having my 2 boys spend the night. The girl already has 3 kids of her own, but wants my 2 boys to spend the night. Again. Either she's a super nut or a super mom. We'll go with super mom. Anyhoo, she told me of a lady at her kids bible school that asked about Alexis--someone who doesn't even know us. I told her that I hear that a lot: people we don't know that have asked about Alexis, sent her gifts, prayed for her. This child's prayer chain must be many miles long. People tell other people about her, people pass along my blog to others. It's amazing to me. I wish there was a way to get a list of all the people that have said prayers for this child, but I just don't think it's possible. I think it would be so sweet if there was a way to someday, when she's older, say, "here is a list of the hundreds (I'm sure there are hundreds--I can't tell you how many people have put her on prayer chains at their churches) of people who have prayed for you."
So whether I've told you this before or not, whether I've met you before or not, thank you. Thank you for your prayers for Alexis and our family, for taking the time to read about her and tell her story to others, for your warm thoughts and kind words. We are grateful.
My eyes are wet.....
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